Dana Checks Out
"Dana Checks Out" is the first half of the first episode of the second season of Wayside. Synopsis Dana seeks to see what life outside of Mrs. Jewls's class looks like, so she explores Wayside School. Plot The episode opens with Dana organizing everything in Mrs. Jewls's class before the day begins, though she feels somewhat melancholic as she watches a bird flying outside the window. When class begins, Todd asks Dana if something's wrong, and Dana simply states that she's a little tired of her morning routine. When Jenny enters the room, however, Dana realizes she has an opportunity for a taste of freedom. The two talk, where Dana learns that Jenny has explored every floor of Wayside except the nineteeth, though that one doesn't exist. Dana talks to Jenny about her problem, and Jenny offers her her bike, and encourages her to explore the school. Dana is briefly stopped by Mrs. Jewls, who requests a hall pass, but Jenny hands her thirty-story hall pass to Dana so she can explore. Dana starts biking around the school, ticking off floors as she passes by them. Back in Mrs. Jewls's class, however, without Dana, Myron offers to take over organization duty. He hands Stephen a fish to write with, while Dana continues to explore the school. Dana makes a brief stop for water, while also making a quick stop by Miss Mush's room for some food. However, as she is not in the classroom, it continues to get more disorganized, with Fluffy stealing Eric Bacon's assignment, and Stephen having difficulty reading his fish's handwriting. Mrs. Jewls has everyone hand in their assignments to Myron, but he ends up collecting nearly everything except the assignments in his basket. Dana continues making her way around Wayside, riding circles around Mr. Kidswatter, riding with some kindergarteners, and continuing to check every floor she gets past. However, at this point, Mrs. Jewls's class is in complete disarray. Joe, with a box on his head, complains that he can't see, and Myron attempts to draw in more light, but ends up pulling a pulley that opens up the roof, pulling another that lets in rain and lightning, and pulling another that covers the room in a thick coat of snow. When Myron assures that the worst is over, a pack of hungry vultures appears, and Myron agrees it's time to find Dana. Dana is seen relaxing in the campground, enjoying her day off, when she is confronted by Myron, Todd, and Maurecia, who are begging for her help as everything gets out of control. Dana, however, thinks back to how boxed-up she felt in the class, and decides that she won't return until she sees the nineteenth story. Myron heads back to Mrs. Jewls's class to organize it, frightening Maurecia and Todd, but Maurecia hatches a plan to get Dana back, while Stephen meanwhile is getting carried away by a vulture. Dana is seen building a ramp that leads to the hole in the wall where the door to Miss Zarves's class was meant to go, preparing to finish up her journey and truly break free, when she is stopped by Jenny. Jenny explains that there's a good reason she's never visited the nineteenth story, and brings up a story of a kid named Nick who attempted to find the nineteenth floor, but failed to reach the classroom, only breaking his arm, but getting his cast signed by Miss Zarves. As Dana shivers, she accidentally knocks the bike onto the ramp, and it ends up flying through the hole, but returns signed by Miss Zarves. Jenny and Dana get briefly excited, Dana hands Jenny her bike back, and ticks off the final box on the checklist. However, Todd, Myron, and Maurecia catch her to bring her back to Mrs. Jewls's class, and she willingly agrees. As the vulture returns Stephen to the room, Mrs. Jewls welcomes Dana back, as she gets back to an extremely difficult math problem. Dana looks around the room, exchanges thumbs-ups with Jenny, and gets back to work, satisfied. Characters *Yodana *Mrs. Jewls's fish *Todd *Myron *Jenny *Bebe *Elizabeth *Maurecia *Joe *Stephen *Mrs. Jewls *Fluffy *Eric Bacon *Eric Ovens *Eric Fry *John *Leslie *Rondi *Shari *Incidental 017 *Miss Mush *Sammy (mentioned) *Mr. Kidswatter *Incidental 038 *Incidental 039 *Incidental 156 (debut) *Miss Zarves (mentioned, cartoon debut) *Nick (cartoon debut, mentioned) Transcript Read a transcript for "Dana Checks Out" here. Trivia *This is the first episode of Season 2 of Wayside. *The plot of this episode is likely based on the book chapter "Freedom," where Myron gets bored with the monotony of life and leaves Mrs. Jewls's class as a result. *This is the first appearance of the ninteenth story in the cartoon, and the first mentions of Miss Zarves and Nick. **The "Nick story" seen in this episode would later be referenced again in "Myth of Nick." Gallery See a gallery for "Dana Checks Out" here. Category:Season 2 episodes Category:Episodes